It Must Be Nice

Am I next?

It must be nice to have options
Plural
To see something disgusting
Then get to choose
Should you bother to dive deeper to learn more
Or
Should you halt abruptly
Separating what you saw, heard, read
Across the chasm
from reality

It must be nice to exclaim
Eww! That was vile!
“Reported and blocked!”
Scrubbing it from your timeline
Erasing a person’s story
Because you’re too overwhelmed to hear
What they actually live

It must be nice to believe
That unfortunate things
Won’t happen in your neighborhood
That distancing yourself from those
With racist behaviors and hateful tendencies
Is enough to make a difference
At least in your life

What’s it like to live bullet-free?
Beyond metal shells and distinct powders
Those around you must travel
Along paths riddled with ammo
Daily
Littered with casings and bullet holes

Microaggressions
Snide remarks
Misrepresentation
Paper bag test
One drop rule
Overly qualified while grossly underpaid
Being underestimated
Assumptions of physical prowess
Assumed to be rhythmic
Assumed to play basketball
Assumed to be immune to physical pain
Assertion mislabeled as aggression
Guilty until proven innocent
Kinky, curly, coily, straight
And other stray bullets

Just to name a few

It must be nice
To know that all tables
Always reserve a seat for you
When others can barely enter the gate
Let alone the room

It must be nice
To pray in church
To grocery shop in your community
To jog
To walk through your neighborhood
To wear a hoody
To visit a department store
To play video games with relatives
To give birth
To chill at home
To evacuate from war
To sleep peacefully in your bed
To drive with your family
To own a nice car
To host a barbecue
To sell water
To share your dreams
To breathe
And so much more

Safely

It must be nice
Not to wonder who’s next
My parents
My spouse
My children
My friends
Am I next?

It must be nice